Warriors' Mark Jackson reassigns assistant Scalabrine

OAKLAND -- In denying that there was dysfunction on the Warriors, coach Mark Jackson twice briefly chuckled at the mention of the word.

"We are excited about what's taken place up until this point -- the culture, the environment with no dysfunction at all," Jackson said Tuesday. "That's comical."

The state of the Warriors became a question on a day when Jackson announced his decision to reassign first-year assistant coach Brian Scalabrine, removing him from the bench with 11 games left in the regular season and in the thick of a playoff race because of a "difference in philosophies."

A team spokesman later said that Scalabrine, who played 11 NBA seasons before the Warriors hired him in July, had been reassigned to a position with the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team's NBA Development League affiliate.

Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson pauses during a time out in the first half of a NBA game against the Orlando Magic at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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RAY CHAVEZ
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Yahoo Sports first reported the story while citing sources in reporting, "Over the past two years, Jackson's difficulty with managing his coaching staff and creating a functional work environment has developed into one of the issues that threatens his future on the job."

Jackson laughed when the word "dysfunction" came up in a question.

"I know dysfunction, and that could not be further from the truth," the Warriors' third-year coach said. "And if it was true, there'd be more people in the choir singing it.

"That's entertainment."

Jackson stressed that he made the decision himself and indicated that the decision couldn't wait any longer. He said he had the support of the ownership group and front office and explained to his team why the staff change was made for an assistant he still referred to as "Scal."

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"With any staff or any job, there's going to be difference in philosophies," Jackson said. "At the end of the day, whoever's in charge makes a decision, and that's the way you go. And we're united. Whether we're right, wrong or indifferent, and I think that's important.

"We are tied together. To me, that can't be debated. But with any coach or organization, you're going to have difference of opinions. But when you come out of the door, it's united, and that's the way it's supposed to be."

The Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson reacts to a call against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half of their NBA game played at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, March 22, 2014. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group)
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Dan Honda
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The Warriors are 17 games over .500 and on pace for a 50-win season, yet locked in a playoff race in which they have the sixth-best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors on Friday host Memphis, which trails the Warriors by 1﻿1/2 games.

Asked if he thought that his future with the team was tied with postseason results, Jackson said no.

"I don't get caught up in that at all because then all of a sudden when you win a bunch of games, then everything's good," said Jackson, who is under contract through the 2014-15 season. "You can't pay attention to that. You do your job and you be the best that you can possibly be, and you try to impact lives. Don't get caught up in the other stuff. There's nothing you can do to control any of that, so there's no sense losing a second entertaining 'what if?' Why not 'what if' if we win it all? I'm not wasting time on that neither."

Told his future would be better if the Warriors won it all, Jackson said, "My future's fine. It's in the right hands. It's in God's hands. So I'm going to do whatever I have to do to put us in the best possible position and let the chips fall where they may."

David Lee was hopeful he would be able to play Friday after leaving last week's loss against San Antonio with a hamstring strain. The Warriors would have had five days without games before facing Memphis.

Andre Iguodala said he planned on returning to action Friday after practicing and participating in individual player workouts the previous day. He has missed the past three games because of right-knee tendinitis.

Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson gives instructions to his players in the first half of a NBA game against the Orlando Magic at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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RAY CHAVEZ
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